


Miraculous Oneshots

by LilyTheNinjaGirl



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adriennette, F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, maybeladrienidk, prompts, suggestionsfrommyreaders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 03:57:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9159739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyTheNinjaGirl/pseuds/LilyTheNinjaGirl
Summary: A series of oneshots based off of prompts from the readers of my other fic 'Secrets and Betrayals'. The prompts are two people, and one word. (Example: Marinette and Adrien: IceCream. Alya and Adrien: Argument. Kim and Alix: Bet. Marinette and Chat Noir: pickles.) Anybody can request a prompt, but those who requested after reading S&B will be taken care of first. After that, it will be first come, first serve. Prompt suggestions will no longer be accepted after June 30, 2016. Ratings will change based on the prompt.Disclaimer: This disclaimer applies to every single chapter I write: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, so all rights go to their respective owners!





	1. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Adrien and Gabriel: Abuse
> 
> Rating: T
> 
> Requested by: carpetes

**Chapter 1: Home**

Out of all of the things Adrien could tell you his father did, abuse him was not one of them. Until now. He could tell you that his father ignored him. His father gave him pens as gifts, forced him into a rigorous schedule, and expected him to be perfect. But abuse him? That, at least in Adrien's mind, was unimaginable.

It had all started after the events of Jackady. Adrien had arrived home, and his father had actually given him a hug. A hug! It was such a simple display of affection for many people, pure instinct, just something nice to do. Most people receive hugs often. But not Adrien Agreste. Especially not from his father.

So he had relished in the few seconds that his father had embraced him, closing his eyes and leaning in. His mind was racing. " _He does care! He really does care about me!_ " It took everything Adrien had in him to keep from crying out of joy.

A simple hug should not do that to people. Nobody should be that starved of affection, and love, and caring.

But Adrien was. And it was his father's fault. And he knew it was his father's fault, but for right now, Adrien let himself believe that maybe, _just maybe_ , his father had seen the error in his ways. Maybe they could be a family again. Maybe his father would pay him more attention.

And then his father pulled away suddenly. Adrien did not see Gabriel Agreste glance at his ring. And then the man slowly walked away. He hadn't said a word. And neither had Adrien. Words would ruin this moment for him. He just wanted to cherish it forever.

Plagg didn't make a comment as the kid flopped down on his bed, mind turning cartwheels. " _He hugged me! He hugged me! YES!_ " Instead, the cat stealthily moved over to where Adrien hid the Camembert. The kid was far too distracted to notice him.

"Plagg, can you believe it? He just walked up to me and hugged me! Does that just happen to people? Plagg, get away from the cheese!" A sheepish looking Plagg floated up to Adrien's bed.

"Well, as far as I can tell, you humans hug each other quite a bit. I don't know why. You could be embracing the loveliness of cheese instead of squeezing each other..." Plagg commented.

"He hugged me..." Adrien whispered. Plagg smiled a bit for the boy. Adrien deserved this happiness. If just for a moment.

The next day at school, Adrien was practically glowing. Nino noticed it right away, and as soon as Nino asked what was up, he excitedly explained it to his best friend. Nino was so excited for Adrien that he nearly knocked him over with a chest bump.

Alya must have heard it from Nino, and she told Marinette. So as a result, Marinette also walked around happily all day long, despite the fact that she had been late to school. If Adrien was happy, she was happy. And Adrien looked more happy than she had ever seen him.

So of course, an akuma had to attack and ruin her good mood. Kind of. She transformed into Ladybug and headed off to save the day.

Upon arriving, she discovered that today's akuma was only six years old. He had lost his school championship spelling bee when another boy had cheated. So of course, the little boy was very angry, and that was perfect for Hawkmoth's akuma.

"Hello m'lady. Fine afternoon for an akuma attack!" Chat Noir called, jumping down from a rooftop and adding a flip for flourish. He landed elegantly in front of her.

"What's got you in a good mood, chaton?" she asked as she watched the akumatized person, trying to pinpoint where the akuma was residing _before_ heading into battle.

"Ah, just something good happened to me recently," Chat said vaguely. Ladybug wouldn't appreciate him giving away any more detail than that.

"Well, glad to hear it. I think the akuma is in that medal. He must have taken it from the cheating winner. Let's go!"

Through Ladybug and Chat Noir's incredible teamwork, the akuma was purified and Paris was returned back to normal within ten minutes. After agreeing to meet up for patrol, the super heroes went their separate ways before they detransformed. Since the school day was over, Adrien headed home.

"Shoot, I am sooo late!" he said out loud. He dashed into his house. His piano teacher was standing there angrily, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Adrien's father was standing right next to him. Adrien gulped, suddenly aware of how disheveled and unprofessional he looked right now.

"Adrien, would you like to explain your lateness?" Gabriel asked.

"This isn't the first time, either," his piano teacher muttered. Gabriel rose and eyebrow in shock and then turned his cold gaze back on Adrien.

"I'm very sorry, and I apologize for my actions. I was caught up in the akuma attack on the other side of town. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused." He stumbled over his words a bit, but tried to make it sound like a very professional and sincere apology.

"And all the other times?" Gabriel asked. He waited as Adrien fumbled around. He nearly glared at his son. Because he knew the real reason.

Every time. Every single time that there was an akuma attack, Adrien missed a fencing class, or was late to a piano practice, or he missed dinner, or he came back late to prepare for an event. After rigorous akuma attacks, Adrien was always tired and his performance suffered. After Chat Noir made progress with Ladybug, Adrien appeared happier.

Through Ladyblog clips, monitoring Adrien, and talking to Adrien's teachers and bodyguard, he had slowly pieced everything together. The ring was the final piece. The picture was complete. His son was Chat Noir. His son, who was the epitome of perfection, fought against him every single day of his life.

"And I always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and-" Gabriel cut off his stuttering son.

"Never mind. I would like to discuss something with you in private. You are excused for the day," he told Adrien and then the piano teacher. The pianist scowled angrily and then gathered up his sheet music and made his way to the door. Adrien stood nervously under his father's glare.

"To my office, please," his father requested in a tone that made it incredibly clear that it was not a request, It was an order. Adrien gulped and fiddled with his fingers nervously. His father was pretty angry, but he had hugged him yesterday. That counted for something, right? _Right_?

"Have a seat," Gabriel instructed. Adrien sat down, setting his bag down on the floor. Plagg rubbed his head against Adrien's chest through his shirt to comfort the boy. Gabriel Agreste shut the door and locked it.

"Father, I-" Gabriel motioned with his hand for Adrien to stop, so he did. They stared at each other for a few seconds. The Gabriel's eyes narrowed.

"When were you going to tell me?" he asked coldly.

"What? When was I going to tell you what?" Adrien asked, incredibly confused. Had he skipped something else? Did he get a low test score recently? His mind quickly ran through everything he had done over the past several days. Other than missing this piano practice, he had completed his entire schedule for the past week perfectly.

Gabriel nearly snarled as he grabbed the front of Adrien shirt. "DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!" he roared. "I ALREADY KNOW!"

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about, Father!" Adrien said quickly, practically terrified. His father snorted.

"Don't know what I'm talking about... You should know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"I don't!" Adrien pleaded.

Suddenly, his father lost control and slapped him across the face. Adrien brought a hand to his stinging cheek. "YOU HAVE ONE LAST CHANCE TO TELL ME YOURSELF!"

Adrien felt tears well up in his eyes. His cheek hurt like crazy. He desperately tried to think of what his father might mean. He choked over the rising tears as he answered. "I don't know! I'm sorry!"

He hadn't expected to actually be struck to the floor.

Adrien landed on his back, sprawled out across the floor. His father loomed over him. "When were you going to tell me that you're Chat Noir?" he growled.

Adrien's blood ran cold. So that was it. His father had figured him out. How had he figured it out? The first thought that went through his mind was, " _Ladybug is gonna be so pissed when I tell her my father figured out I'm Chat Noir..."_

"Well?" Gabriel hissed, grabbing the collar of Adrien's shirt.

"I c-couldn't tell anybody!" Adrien sniffled. "Or else Hawkmoth could target you! I was trying to protect you!"

Gabriel leaned back and laughed. He roared of laughter as he pushed Adrien back onto the floor. Plagg flew out of Adrien's jacket, poised in front of the boy in order to protect him and also so he could transform if need be. Gabriel didn't even look surprised to see the kwami.

"Protect me? From Hawkmoth?" Gabriel's laughter filled the room. "Why on earth would I need protection from myself?"

And then he immediately stopped laughing as he smiled cruelly. "Nooroo, wings out!"

"Noooooo!" a little voice screeched as a small purple thing was sucked into a brooch that Gabriel had hidden under his neck tie.

"Plagg, c-claws out!" Adrien stuttered. He backed up, his mind screaming at him. " _No! Hawkmoth can't be the person who has been trying to kill you and Ladybug for years! He can't be.. That would mean..._ "

His thought process was cut of as Hawkmoth lunged at him. Distracted, Chat Noir was taken down almost instantly, with Hawkmoth's hands around his throat. "After all these years, I will finally be able to take your miraculous myself! Without you, Ladybug will be easier to defeat!"

"No..." Adrien managed to choke out before the hands around his throat tightened.

"You don't have a choice, Adrien." The boy winced as his father used his real name while he was in costume. "You can go back to your life as Adrien. I'm pulling you out of that public school, too. You will stay in the house and perform your duties."

Hawkmoth left one hand on Chat Noir's throat, as the cat boy desperately clawed around. But Hawkmoth had pinned him to the floor and he was beginning to choke. Hawkmoth reached down with the other one to take the ring off. Adrien began to see stars...

And then a loud crash resounded through the air. Hawkmoth turned to see Ladybug standing there, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Get off of him!" she hissed. That was all Adrien heard before the hands around his throat tightened and his world turned to black.

When Adrien woke up, he was outside. He could tell. He looked around and the first thing he saw was his house in flames. He tried to sit up abruptly, but a hand on his chest pushed him back down. "Don't move, chaton," a low murmur came from his right.

It was only then when he realized he was still transformed as Chat Noir. And Ladybug was kneeling next to him. She had some horrible bruises and cuts on her face, and the way she moved about gingerly indicated the rest of her body had taken some damage too.

"I defeated him," she said, answering his question before he asked it. Chat felt tears well up in his eyes. "Chat? What's wrong? You do realize that this means we can go back to our normal civilian lives, right? No more akuma, no more craziness. I mean, we can still patrol and fight regular crime, so we will still see each other, but-" She cut herself off. Rambling was Marinette's thing, not Ladybug's.

Chat just cried harder, sobbing his heart out. She leaned over and enveloped him in her arms. "Chat, you should go home," she murmured in his ear. "You're emotionally exhausted."

"Can't..." Chat managed to get out. Nearly being choked to death took a serious toll on his throat.

"What do you mean, can't?" Ladybug asked, running her fingers through his hair.

"I...can't..." Chat answered through small sniffles. "That was my home." He gestured to the burning building. Ladybug's eyes widened and she nearly fell over.

"What do you mean, that was your home?"

"Hawkmoth...is...my father...," Chat said, burying his head into her shoulder. .

He watched as she gasped. And then he could see he wheels turning in her head until finally everything clicked into place and she turned to him, her face clearly displaying her horror.

"Adrien? Oh my god... Adrien, everything will be okay!"

"I know, you're right..." he sniffled. "That was never really my home anyway." He stood up to leave. Ladybug grabbed his arm.

"Chat, where are you going?" she asked, clutching his hand in her own.

"I don't know, I'll figure something out," he murmured, preparing to leap away.

"But-"

"I need to be alone right now, Ladybug. Please."

Ladybug sighed and let go of his hand. He turned and began to leap away. "Hey Chat!" she yelled after him. He paused and turned. "Just make sure you come back, kitty. My home is your home! You deserve to have a home, and I want to share mine with you."

"But your parents..." Chat nearly choked over his own tears of gratitude.

"Won't care," Ladybug said firmly. "You need to be alone. I get that. But make sure you come home when you're okay Chat. I'll be waiting. You know where to find me." And then she zipped off into the darkness.

Chat smiled. Home. A word that had never meant anything to him. Maybe she could teach him what it meant?

That would be nice.

To have a home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I don't really know what happened there. I started out having no idea what to write, and then I got to the middle and added the actual prompt, and I have no idea where that ending came from. Oh well. Thanks for the prompt, carpetes! And thanks to everyone for reading and commenting! Have a great day!


	2. Coffee Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ladybug and Chat Noir: Coffee
> 
> Rating: General Audiences
> 
> Requested by: Adesteny

**Chapter 2: Coffee Dreams**

Marinette was tired. Really tired. No wait, tired was an understatement. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was _exhausted_! And she still had to finish her math homework and read an entire History book and write a Literature essay that was worth 10% of her grade. By tomorrow.

" _Why does the universe hate me?_ " Marinette groaned in her head as she sat in her desk chair, glancing fleetingly at her bed. It looked soooo comfortable. If only…. She unlocked her computer and switched to the open Ladyblog tab for a few seconds, scanning it to see if there was an akuma running around. "There better not be…" she muttered.

"What?" Tikki asked, flying up to the desk. The little kwami let loose a huge yawn. She was just as tired as Marinette was.

"I was saying there'd better not be an akuma out today," Marinette explained. There had already been three akuma attacks this week alone! Plus her patrols every other night. Marinette was running herself ragged.

Tikki suggested asking Chat to cover her patrol, but both of them agreed that it wasn't a good idea when Chat Noir nearly passed out from exhaustion on their last patrol. He was pushing himself even harder than she was. Through pleasant (but vague) small talk, she had also learned that he was severely punished if his grades fell. Strict parents, maybe?

Anyway, after that little episode, they had decided to patrol together. That way, if one of them did end up passing out (it was ridiculous that it had come to that) then the other one would be there. Marinette glanced at the clock. 9:37pm. She had to meet Chat in an hour and a half.

"What should I even start with?" Marinette asked herself, groaning. Tikki hovered over her.

"Start with the Lit essay. Then do the math if you have time. You can read the book in between classes and at lunch because History is the last class of the day. Maybe you'll read enough of it to fake reading the whole thing," Tikki suggested. Marinette groaned again.

10:45 came too fast. Marinette forced herself to her feet, looking at the half completed algebra equation on her paper. Shaking her head, she called "Tikki, spots on!" Transforming brought her no extra energy, because Tikki had none to give.

"This is gonna be horrible," she commented as she swung out the window. Leaping across the rooftops, every step she took, she nearly stumbled. Only the wind against her face kept her eyes open. At one point, she did actually trip and ended up sprawled across the arooftop.

" _Okay, I'm calling for intervention_ ," Tikki said inside of Marinette's head. " _You're gonna kill yourself if you patrol while you're this tired_."

"What are you gonna do? Give me an energy drink?" Ladybug groaned. Tikki giggled.

" _Kinda. You see that café down there_?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

" _I want you to go down there and buy yourself some coffee_!"

"As Ladybug? I don't have any money… And those people will freak out if a super hero comes into their shop."

" _No silly, as Marinette. I know for a fact you have a leftover ten dollar bill in your back pocket_ ," Tikki said. Marinette gasped.

"I do?" She leapt down and de-transformed. Digging around in her back pocket, she pulled out a crumpled ten dollar bill. "Booya! I'm freakin' rich!" she cheered tiredly. "How did I miss this?"

She crossed the street and entered the coffee shop, rubbing her eyes. "Hi, I would like a caramel mocha Frappuccino," she ordered. The barista nodded and went to work on her drink. Mairnette turned to wait and nearly crashed into somebody. She leapt backwards, letting out a squeak as their eyes connected.

Standing in front of her was a _very_ tired Adrien Agreste. You could see his attempts to cover the dark circles under his eyes with makeup, and his blonde hair was messier than usual. His Agreste brand clothes were all wrinkled as well.

"A-Adrien!' Marinette nearly shrieked. The boy smiled at her.

"Hey Marinette!" he greeted, before yawning. "Looks like I'm not the only one that needed a caffeine boost!"

"N-no I mean YES! I mean, yes I needed a boost of coffee- I mean caffeine…. and…um…tired…yeah…" she finished, wincing. Adrien looked at her a little strangely, but nodded nonetheless.

"Adrien?" a voice called. He looked up to see a barista holding his cup, a name scribbled across it. Adrien walked over.

"That would be me. Hey, would you mind scribbling my name over with Sharpie?" he politely requested. The barista gave him a look. She picked up her pen and scrawled the black ink across his name. Marinette was utterly confused. But whatever. If Adrien didn't like his name on a coffee cup, that was his business. Maybe they spelled his name wrong…

"See ya tomorrow, Marinette!" he called as he walked out the door!

"Yup! Tomorrow I'll see… I mean I'll see you! Tomorrow!"

"Marinette?" a barista called. She went over and accepted her cup from the girl. She frowned as she looked at her name on the cup. She couldn't let Chat see it. She'd have to pull an Adrien.

"Can you…maybe… scribble my name over...too?"

The barista gave her a 'really' look and muttered something about crazy people as she pulled out her pen again. Once Marinette's name was satisfactorily hidden, she accepted the drink and handed the lady some cash, leaving her a rather large tip even though the coffee was over-priced to begin with. The barista's face lit up and she waved at Marinette as she went to take another order.

Marinette smiled briefly before taking a sip of the warm liquid and sighing. It tasted good. Totally worth the price. She took another three gulps as she headed over into the alleyway and transformed.

Swinging across the rooftops while trying not to spill your coffee is very complicated, Marinette decided. Finally, she made it to the rooftop that she was supposed to meet Chat at. He was already there, leaning casually against a chimney and sipping some coffee.

He was drinking coffee. So what?

The cup had the name of the same shop that she had gone to sprawled across it.

Could her partner have been in that building earlier or even at the same time as she was? She didn't want to know, lest she accidentally realize who he was.

She couldn't help but run a mental image of everybody who she had noticed in the shop through her head before she could stop herself. She shook away those thoughts. Ladybug actually planned on setting down her half-full coffee cup behind a chimney and leaving it there so Chat didn't question her, but it was too late.

"Meow-velous evening, m'lady. Isn't it?" he called at her. She reluctantly stepped out of the shadows.

"Yeah, I guess. I would appreciate it much more if I wasn't so tired!" Ladybug responded. Chat eyed her coffee, his eyes widening a bit. Had his lady visited that shop too? It was on the way to this spot... She must've gone in after him... He was positive he would be able to spot her immediately if they had been in there at the same time.

"Needed some caffeine too?" he asked, knowing if he made a comment about them being in the same cafe, Ladybug might throw him off the roof. She looked a little startled for a second, but recovered her Ladybug grace almost instantly.

"Yeah, I'm dead tired. Let's just get this patrol over before I collapse!"

"Me too..." Chat agreed. "I'd much rather be asleep. Although if I had to choose this or homework, I would choose this. Even if I do get into a lot of trouble later."

"Tell me about it," Ladybug muttered. She took another sip of coffee and then took her yoyo off of her hip. Chat Noir raised an eyebrow.

"You're gonna swing across the rooftops with coffee in your hand?"

"I did it all the way here. And you must've too."

"True. Let's go."

The two super heroes made their rounds a little slower that night. They kept stopping every so often to sip their coffee. About halfway through patrol, the caffeine kicked in and they sped up a bit.

Once they were almost finished, Ladybug was about to collapse. And she was worried about Chat Noir. The poor cat boy was breathing heavily, and moving sluggishly as exhaustion kicked in. When they were a few miles from their finishing point, she actually made them stop because she was afraid he would fall over.

"Chat, you're exhausted. I mean, more so than I am. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, m'lady. No need to worry."

"Well you just missed the perfect op-purr-tunity to make a pun, so I know for a fact that you are not fine," Ladybug stated firmly.

"I did?" Chat's blank look worried her a little more.

"Yes, you did. You should have said you were 'feline' fine," Ladybug corrected. Chat shrugged. "Are you getting enough sleep, chaton?"

"I dunno. As much as I can since I stay up every night patrolling until past midnight."

"And do you got to sleep as soon as you get home?" Ladybug demanded. Chat faltered. It was only a second. A look flashed through his eyes and then it was gone.

"Of course!" Chat lied.

"You're lying," Ladybug said immediately. "Please tell me you don't stay up and do homework, Kitty!"

"You don't understand Ladybug, I have to!" Chat protested. "If I don't get perfect grades on everything he'll kill me! Or worse yet, pull me out of school!"

Chat's words were slurred now, and she could see his eyelids beginning to droop. He waved off her concerned look. "It's what coffee does to me," he explained. "Worth it for a little while, and then deadly afterwards. I always end up crashing."

The poor guy's mask couldn't hide how tired he was. His green eyes were completely dull, and he hadn't made a single pun. He didn't even flirt with her. Not once. Overwhelming instinct made her wrap her arms around him.

He hesitated for a bit, and the melted into her hug. She caressed his head and scratched behind his cat ears as he went limp in her embrace. She earned some soft purrs of pleasure.

"You're purring," she whispered, wanting to giggle a bit.

"Mmm," came the groggy response. It only took a few seconds for Ladybug to realize that Chat Noir had fallen asleep in her arms, purring softly. His coffee cup fell out of his limp hand and rolled on the ground.

Her eyes followed it as it rolled, and then stopped to perfectly display the side where the barista had written his name. _Oh mon dieu_! It was scratched over with black Sharpie!

Ladybug closed her eyes and took a deep breath, because _no it's not possible for Adrien to be Chat Noir because that completely violates every rule she has made for her life and that cannot happen_.

But the Sharpie scrawl was identical. Same place, same size, same shape. NoNoNoNoNo!

Looking down at the sleeping cat, she completely freaked out. This could be be Adrien Agreste cuddled against her! She could have kissed Adrien Agreste during the whole Dark Cupid thing. Adrien Agreste could have been flirting with her for two years!

Reluctantly, she shook him awake. "Chat! Chat, wake up!"

"Argh, five more minutes!" he groaned.

"No, chaton. I have to go NOW! Come on!" She pushed his head off of her lap. He blinked, looking slightly more alert. "Can you get home safely?" she asked. Chat nodded.

Ladybug took off across the rooftops, disappearing into the night. A sleepy grin crossed Chat's face as he watched her leave. Then he turned to pick up his empty coffee cup (and apparently hers as well, because she left it behind).

When he bent down to pick up hers, he froze. Because even though the name was scribbled over in dark Sharpie (great minds think alike), whoever had done it had done it carelessly and fast. He could clearly make out the name underneath.

Marinette.

There was no way. There was absolutely no freaking way that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was Ladybug. Chat Noir ended up having a mental battle with himself all the way home. When he finally de-transformed, he had finally convinced himself that it made sense. Way too much sense.

Fortunately, his exhausted mind left him no time to stew over it. He collapsed into his bed before changing into pajamas and fell asleep instantly.

Meanwhile, a little farther away, Marinette had also fallen asleep fully clothed in her bed. The only difference is that her parents (who had heard a noise upstairs when she had come home) went up and took her shoes and jacket off for her, wrapping her in a blanket and kissing her forehead.

#############################################################################

The next morning, Marinette woke up a few seconds before her alarm went off. Hitting snooze, she tried to re-call the dream she had last night. After a few seconds of thought, she laughed a bit to herself.

"What's so funny?" Tikki asked.

"I had a dream that Adrien was Chat Noir! Now how hilarious is that? It's literally impossible!"

Tikki chuckled along with her chosen. " _Not as impossible as you think_ ," Tikki thought.

"Well, I have fifteen minutes before I need to get ready. Let's finish this math!" Marinette said determinedly.

#############################################################################

Adrien rolled over. He felt a little stiff and sore. Realizing that he had fallen asleep in his clothes, he got up and went to go take a shower. Once he was done he went through his usual process of brushing his hair, finding the perfect designer clothes to wear, and applying the makeup to hide his exhaustion.

As he made his way over to the computer to check the Ladyblog, he remembered something. A dream he must've had last night. And in it, Marinette was Ladybug? And he had found out because of a coffee cup?

He laughed a bit at his wishful imagination, thanking his brain for providing him with entertainment while he slept. He sat down at his desk, determined to finish his essay. Maybe he should pick up some coffee on the way to school this morning.

Then again, maybe not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I honestly had way too much fun writing that! Thanks for that awesome suggestion, Adesteny!


	3. Happy Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Marinette and Chat Noir: Crying
> 
> Rating: General Audiences
> 
> Suggested by: VocaloidWriter

**Chapter 3: Happy Tears**

It had been one heck of a long day.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had hit snooze six times until Tikki finally took matters into her own hands, blasting Marinette's favorite Jagged Stone song into the girl's ear until she finally got up. After that, the morning rush began.

Marinette, realizing that she had three minutes before the final bell rang and she would be late no matter what she did, threw on some clothes and tossed her hair into pigtails. Then she gathered her books (praying that everything was there) and made a dash for it.

She skidded into class a good five minutes late. Thankfully, Mrs. Bustier was so used to it at that point that she didn't even say anything. So Marinette headed to her desk and started to unpack her books.

It was then that she realized she had left all of her completed homework at home. Growling in frustration, she pulled out her notebook and started taking notes. When Mrs. Bustier asked for their homework, she tried to explain.

"I left it at home accidentally! I got up late and I was in a rush! I can bring it to you right after lunch!"

"Please see me after class," the teacher requested. After class, the conversation continued.

"Marinette, not only are you late to class almost every single day now, but your grades are dropping and you seem forgetful. Do you need help with anything?" Mrs. Bustier asked kindly. She was a teacher who kept her students best interest in mind. And if something was bothering Marinette that made her school performance suffer, maybe there was something she could do to help.

"Yeah, you got a spare miraculous lying around? I could really use your help to patrol and defeat all of these akumas!" Marinette thought sarcastically.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Bustier," she answered politely. "The bakery is very busy and I've been helping my parents more often, so I'm a little tired."

"Alright. Maybe you should express your concerns to you parents. I'm sure they'd be willing to hire help so you can get a good education without falling asleep in my class!" Marinette blushed. She had done that earlier, hadn't she?

"Sure, Mrs. Bustier. I'll get that homework back to you!" Marinette grabbed her school bag and ran to meet her friends for lunch.

As luck would have it, when she skidded into the cafeteria the first person who saw her was Chloe. Chloe was in a bad mood (which was a common occurance) and Marinette was just the person to take her anger out on.

"MariTrash! Late again I see. What did you do with you homework?" Chloe called. She flipped her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. "You probably were so poor you couldn't afford food, so you ate your homework instead!"

"I live in a bakery, Chloe! We have plenty of food!" Marinette growled.

"She probably sold her homework to somebody for money! She's poor and a cheater!" Sabrina added, placing a hand on her hip. Marinette ignored them and focused on getting across the cafeteria.

"Is your jacket made out of newspaper? It looks like something off of the streets!"

"Just keep walking Marinette. Ignore her," she told herself.

"You think you're talented! I wouldn't pay five cents for anything you made! Your bowler hat was soooo tacky!"

"Almost there. Look, there's Adrien. Think about Adrien instead of Chloe. You're a good designer and you know it. You won that hat contest!"

"Is she deaf? Can't she hear us?" Sabrina asked mockingly.

"No, she just can't speak right now! She's looking at Adrien! Everybody knows Marinette has a silly crush on him. Too bad he's already mine!"

"I know right! When will she just give up on him? Isn't he taking you out to dinner tonight?" Sabrina asked.

"Of course!" Chloe cooed. She didn't need to mention that their fathers were forcing them to go together to a charity gala. "Look at this bracelet he got me!"

Marinette continues to ignore her, but she felt her blood begin to boil. Adrien was taking Chloe out? He had gotten her JEWELRY? Chloe may have been over-exaggerating, but what if she wasn't?

"You need to give up on Adrien, MariTrash! He would never like you!" To Marinette's horror, Chloe yelled the words for the whole cafeteria to hear. She froze. Everyone looked up and it got really quiet. She could feel the tears pooling in her eyes.

"Marinette?" a gentle voice asked. She looked up through her tears to see Adrien walking over. She couldn't face him right now. Not now that he knew about her crush. He was probably just here to apologize and confirm that he and Chloe were dating and apologize some more. She couldn't stand to hear that. She began to walk away, the tears coming full force.

"Marinette!" Adrien yelled after her. She took off running, tears streaming down her face. She dashed out of the school and ran to the bakery. She could hear Adrien calling after her, but she ignored him. She ran past her confused parents into the house above the bakery and into her room before she slammed the door shut. She collapsed onto her bed and began to sob.

######################################################

Adrien watched Marinette run into her family's bakery, crying her eyes out. He felt incredibly angry at Chloe. How dare she insult Marinette? His fists were shaking with anger.

What if Marinette was akumatized? The thought immediately made Adrien's eyes widen in panic. Wasting no time, he dashed behind a tree and let Plagg out of his jacket.

"No! No way are we transforming in the middle of a school day!" Plagg said, clearly annoyed.

"If Marinette gets akumatized, then we'll be transforming anyway! Prevention is better than cure!" Adrien said. His kwami just sat there stubbornly. "I'll get you some cheese bread from the bakery!"

Plagg's face lit up. "Deal!" he cheered. One short transformation later, Chat Noir was standing on Marinette's balcony.

This was not the first time Chat Noir had come to Marinette's house. Nor was it the second. Or the third. In fact, after the whole Evillustrater thing, Chat had come around once a month to visit his 'princess'. Then he started visiting twice a month. Now he came as often as once a week.

So he was quite comfortable as he rapped at the glass, and when she didn't answer, he went in uninvited. She was lying on her bed, curled up and sobbing. Chat frowned. Hawkmoth wouldn't even have to try to find her negative emotions right now.

"Princess?" he said tentatively. Marinette glanced at him and almost scowled.

"Chat? What are you doing here during school hours?"

"I heard that something rather unpleasant happened to you, and a knight must save his princess from being akumatized!" Chat said smoothly. Marinette seemed to think for a few seconds before she accepted the answer.

"I'm not going to be akumatized!" she announced stubbornly. "I just over-reacted... I'll be fine!" She brushed away a few loose tears. Chat smiled sadly.

"I don't believe mew. Want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Marinette admitted. "It's just... This girl in my school who's kinda mean. Well, really mean. She has this way of making me feel... Insignificant. Unimportant." A few more tears ran down her cheek. "And I know I should listen to her, but sometimes I can't help it, and I-I..."

Chat Noir couldn't bear to watch his princess break down and cry like this. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her. Marinette stiffened for a second, but then melted into his arms and sobbed into his shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry, Chat. I shouldn't be breaking down like this!" she sobbed. "I mean, how hard is my life? Not that hard.. I have awesome friends... And loving parents..."

Chat frowned a bit. Awesome friends. Loving parents. Everything he had ever wanted. Nino certainly was an awesome friend. And Alya too. And of course there was Marinette herself. But he only knew her as Chat Noir. She always avoided Adrien. She probably hated him after the gum incident. Is that why she had run away from him earlier?

The thought made him frown. So many people hated Adrien. Other teen models were jealous of him. Teen boys everywhere were jealous of him. His photographers were always annoyed with him. The Gorilla constantly scowled whenever Adrien was around. Why didn't anybody love him?

And his father had done nothing but ignore him. Adrien tried to be perfect for him! He did everything his father asked, behaved perfectly, and made himself miserable! But his father never even acknowledged him! Not even a 'good work' or a 'hello' in the morning!

Chat didn't realize that the tears soaking his leather costume were now a mixture of his and Marinette's as they hugged each other and cried. Marinette finally looked up, and she ran her finger over his face, brushing away his years.

"W-Why are you c-crying?" she asked him. He shrugged.

"Maybe it hurts me to see you cry..." he replied, sniffling.

"You and I both know that's not it, kitty. But I won't pry."

"Marinette?" She looked up at him. "Thanks."

"I should be thanking you. You're the one skipping school to comfort me..." she sighed, glancing at the clock. Chat did also, and his eyes widened a bit.

"Shoot!" he hissed. Marinette chuckled dryly.

"I'm really sorry!" she apologized. "I didn't mean to make you skip school!"

"What makes you think I wouldn't skip anyway?" he asked, his hardcore Chat leaking through again. Marinette laughed.

"I could actually see you doing that," she admitted. Chat chuckled.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually a straight A student. I get good grades, I'm hardly ever late, and I NEVER skip school without a good reason."

"You're kidding!"

"I'm entirely serious! But since we're here, no point in going back now!"

"Do you have a better idea?" she asked teasingly.

"You still owe me a video game marathon! I had to go recharge my miraculous halfway through the the first game last time we played!"

Marinette chewed on her lower lip while she thought about it. "You really want to skip school to play video games? I'll get in a lot of trouble!"

"Oh trust me, so will I," Chat agreed.

"I bet you won't be in as much trouble as I will!" Marinette said, playfully poking him in the chest. His expression faltered a bit.

"You'd be surprised," he murmured. She wasn't supposed to hear that, but she did. "Now how about those video games?"

Marinette searched his eyes for a few seconds. They were full of secrets and sorrows and starvation for attention. The silly grin on his face did nothing to keep her from seeing the mysteries in his eyes. But she couldn't solve them. Right now, the only thing she could do was cheer her kitty up.

"Alright, kitty. I give in. Let's play some video games!"

######################################################

Fifteen minutes later, Chat let out a wail as Marinette's name flashed across the screen. She pumped her fist in the air. "Booya! Marinette to the controllers! It's off the hook!" she called trimphantly. Chat Noir slumped against her desk.

"Why do you do this to me, Princess?" he groaned, dropping his controller. He looked up at Marinette with such a childish pout on his face that she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha... I...you... Oh god Chat... Hahaha..."

"What's so funny?" Chat demanded.

"YOUR FACE!" Marinette shrieked with laughter. "You should have seen your face when you lost again! Priceless! You looked all like this!" And then Marinette made a face that didn't look much like Chat's, but it was so weird Chat began to laugh too.

"Omigosh Princess... Haha... You're TOO cute! That face... Haha... It was-"

"Don't say it!" she giggled.

"Paw-satively hiss-terical!"

That sent both of the teens into another fit of laughter. Chat ended up doubled over on the floor while Marinette was just barely hanging onto her desk chair. They laughed until both of them had tears streaming down their faces.

Chat, still laughing, reached out and touched Marinette's face. "Purr-incess, you're crying again."

She giggled, pushing his hand away. "But these are happy tears, kitty!"

Suddenly, Marinette's bedroom door swung open with a bang. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, what on earth are you doing? You're supposed to be at scho-" Her mother froze when she saw Chat.

Chat blinked, the panic on his face evident. "Umm... Hi?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt will be a sequel to this one. Also, forgive typos. I typed this one on a phone.


	4. The Pickle Princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Marinette and Chat Noir: Pickles
> 
> Rating: General Audiences
> 
> Suggested by: Mikalzilla and Xylia Neo

**Chapter 4: The Pickle Princess**

Suddenly, Marinette's bedroom door swung open with a bang. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, what on earth are you doing? You're supposed to be at scho-" Her mother froze when she saw Chat.

Chat blinked, the panic on his face evident. "Umm... Hi?"

Mrs. Cheng looked back and forth between the two teenagers, who looked like they had been caught stealing from the cookie jar. Chat's green eyes darted back and forth nervously. He took a step forward.

"Mrs. Cheng, I'd like to apologize. I was the one who distracted your daughter and kept her from going to school. You see, she was being bullied and was rather upset, so I was trying to cheer her up so she wouldn't get akumatized since it's my job as a superhe-"

"Super hero?" Sabine cut him off. "You know, had you wanted to prevent our daughter from becoming an akuma victim by cheering her up, you could have just walked through the front door."

She watched, smirking in her head, as Chat spluttered. "I-um-it was... faster?" She held up her hand for him to stop.

"Well first off, thank you for taking the wellbeing of Parisians so seriously, and secondly, I already know all about you two."

"What? Us two? What does that mean?" Marinette squeaked nervously.

"The midnight meetings that seem to become more and more frequent," Sabine explained, laughing a bit at their shocked faces. "You two aren't exactly quiet..."

"I..." Chat didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry... I-"

"We," Marinette corrected, cutting him off firmly. "We should have told you. Or if anything, I should had told you. It wasn't appropriate for me to have someone in my room at midnight, especially a boy, without telling you. Even if he's just a lonely little kitty who needed a friend." Chat blushed at the description.

Sabine contemplated her daughter's apology. She had been waiting for the right moment to confront her daughter about her 'midnight visitor', but the situation had already set itself up.

Half of Sabine wanted to be angry at both Marinette and Chat Noir. She was angry at Marinette for lying to her, for letting a strange boy (one who wore tight leather and a mask) into her bedroom at ridiculous hours. She was angry at Chat Noir for invading her daughter's privacy and interrupting her sleep, all while knowing the girl didn't have her parent's permission.

So that's why she kind of wanted to lock all of the doors and windows, give Marinette pepper spray, and keep an eye on her at all hours.

But the other half of Sabine was troubled. She knew Chat Noir. Well, she didn't really know him, but she'd been silently observing bits and pieces of his interactions with her daughter. Contrary to what the rest of Paris might believe, he was not really the suave, flirty, bold, and confident boy that fought evil with Ladybug.

She had watched him laugh, cry, and even just his normal conversation. She picked up on little things (call it motherly intuition). He really was just a lonely, lost, insecure boy looking for comfort. How he had found it in her daughter, she had no idea.

But when Chat was with Marinette, she watched him change a bit. He would come through her trapdoor looking dejected, unloved, and utterly defeated. He always left with a smile on his face and a skip in his step.

Sabine suspected that whatever Chat Noir's home situation was, it wasn't the best. And something about that made her blood boil. How could somebody not always be there to love and support their children? So she made a decision. If Chat Noir didn't have the kind of family that he deserved, she was taking over!

Sabine didn't realize that she and the two teens had been standing in awkward silence up until that point. Chat Noir cleared his throat, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Well then, I should probably get going and-"

"Hold up!" Sabine interrupted. Chat froze. "I assume neither of you ate lunch. Chat Noir, would you like to stay? My husband was going to make some hamburgers. We'd love for you to join us."

Se watched proudly as a look of disbelief crossed the boy's face, almost immediately followed by the world's largest smile as the realization that she was asking him to stay for lunch dawned on him. He looked at her, a big smile on his face and his eyes shining like it was the best day of his life.

"Really?" he asked, clearly trying not to sound too eager.

"Of course!" Sabine said. Marinette giggled a bit at Chat's face. She turned to her mother.

"But... Aren't I in trouble?" she asked quietly.

"Well, I am very disappointed in you, and they're probably will be consequences. But as long as Chat's here, he can stay for lunch. Besides," and she winked at Chat Noir, "We might as well get to know you a little better if you're going to be hanging out with my daughter so often!"

Again, Sabine wanted to burst out laughing at the looks on the teens' faces. "There will be rules, of course," she continued, "About how late and how long you'll be allowed to stay at night. But other than that, you can come over whenever you want!"

"Wow... Thank you, Mrs. Cheng!"

"Please, call me Sabine. Now come on down and help me with lunch!" Chat followed behind Sabine like a puppy, not believing how incredibly amazingly nice she was. Marinette followed after, a little dazed and very confused as to why she hasn't gotten into a load of trouble. Not that that wouldn't come later...

Sabine headed into the kitchen and explained to Tom that Marinette and Chat Noir's little midnight charade had finally been exposed, and that she had invited Chat to come over anytime. Tom agreed with her reasoning, saying that he himself had also seen how lonely and heartbroken the boy was.

So now, the bakery was closed for lunch and the entire Dupain-Cheng household, plus Chat Noir, was in the kitchen preparing a hamburger feast. Tom was manning the stove, cooking the hamburgers. Sabine prepared some vegetables for the side, and Marinette and Chat were elected to dig out the condiments.

Marinette rifled through the fridge and handed Chat stuff to set on the counter. "Mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, cheese, lettuce..." she muttered, passing everything off to him. She shut the fridge. "That should be it!"

"What about the pickles?" Chat asked. Marinette scrunched up her nose.

"I hate pickles, so we never have them in the house."

"What? That doesn't make sense! Just because you don't like pickles doesn't mean that you can't have some on hand for the rest of us!"

"Hear hear!" Tom cheered. "A pickle defender! Boy after my own heart!" He ruffled Chat's hair as he crossed the kitchen, which Chat didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed pleasantly shocked. He grinned.

"See! Your dad and I agree! Two against one!" Chat said, planting his hands on his hip. Tom chuckled.

"Okay boys, I think you can survive without pickles!" Sabine said.

"Great. I save Paris every day and yet nobody will get me pickles!" Chat muttered loudly. Marinette and Tom roared with laughter.

"You're hilarious!" Tom said happily.

"Don't you mean hiss-terical?" Chat corrected. Marinette and Sabine groaned in sync.

"The girls think we're pawful!" Tom said. Chat Noir nodded.

"I agree with mew. But I think we're purr-ty funny!"

Fifteen minutes later, Chat finished what he considered the best meal of his life. He had been ecstatic when Sabine had told him to pick something out of the bakery for free. The the five of them (since school was over at this point and Adrien's photo shoot had been canceled) decided to watch a movie.

"What should we watch?" Marinette asked, tossing movies at Chat to see if he could catch them. He snatched one out of the air and read the title. "Hm, the Princess Bride. I've never seen this one, but it seems perfect for you, Princess!"

Marinette gasped in mock horror. "YOU'VE NEVER SEEN THE PRINCESS BRIDE?" She shoved him into the couch and ran to put the CD in.

Throughout the entire movie, Chat began making smart comments about Marinette being as beautiful and bold as Buttercup, and how he was just as dashing and good looking as Westley. The two ignored Tom and Sabine, who were constantly snickering in the background.

Eventually, the movie ended and Chat had to leave before his transformation wore off. Sabine have him a hug and Tom offered him a high five and a box of croissants. He left happily. This was the best day of his life!

######################################################

Chat Noir re-appeared on the Dupain-Cheng's doorstep three days later, where he was invited inside warmly. After standing around and 'Chat-ting' idly (as Chat had told Tom, to more laughter), he and Marinette decided to have another video game tournament. They invited Tom to play, but he declined, because he had to man the bakery.

After seven losses, Chat was getting desperate. This couldn't be a repeat of last time! It just couldn't be! So while Marinette was distracted kicking his butt, he reached into the bag he had brought and stealthily unscrewed the lid on a pickle jar.

Smirking, he held the pickle directly under Marinette's nose.

He hadn't expected Marinette to scream and throw her remote controller across the room in shock! But he would take it! Snickering, he mashed the buttons until his name flashed across the screen in victory.

"HA! How do you like me now, Princess? I finally beat you!" Marinette scowled.

"That was cheating! That was totally cheating!" she insisted.

Chat shrugged. "You call it cheating, I call it winning!" And then he ate the pickle. Marinette picked up a pillow from the couch and flung it at him. Ten minutes later, pillows were strewn everywhere around the living room and two exhausted teenagers were passed out on the couch.

######################################################

A month later, Marinette had her sweet sixteen birthday party. She invited her entire class (except for Chloe and Sabrina) and they got together for an awesome party at her house. After stuffing themselves full of cake, the teens gathered around Marinette to watch her open her gifts.

She smiled as she thanked Nathaneal for the new sketchbook for her designs, hugged Alix, Juleka, Rose, and Mylene, who had worked together to get her some new fabrics, squealed when she got a new sewing kit from Max, Kim, and Ivan, grinned excitedly as she received the latest Jagged Stone album from Nino, nearly cried when Alya gave her a very personal gift, and was so excited to receive an Agreste brand jacket from Adrien that she forgot her shyness and tackled him in a hug.

They were about to retire and play a game of Truth or Dare, but Alya found one more gift at the bottom of a mountain of tissue paper. "Hey Marinette! There's one more.."

Marinette scratched her head. "What? Who could that be from?" She accepted the pink box anyway and looked at the delicate handwriting on the tag. It read 'Princess' in fancy, swirly letters. Marinette's face heated up.

"Well, open it!" Alix announced. Marinette opened the lid of the box and nearly burst out laughing. Inside sat a small jar of pickles. She lifted it out, still laughing. Everyone else looked confused.

"Pickles? Is that like a practical joke? Who's it from?" Alya asked. Marinette shrugged.

"I don't know," she lied. Her parents stood in the background, smirking because they knew exactly who it was from. "Does anybody want these? I don't really like pickles..."

To her surprise, Adrien accepted the pickles with a quiet "Thanks!" As she handed them to him, something in the bottom of the box caught her eye. It was a necklace on a golden chain. Dangling from the chain was a small, green pickle charm, along with a golden tag with 'Princess' etched into it. Marinette grinned.

As everyone else got into a circle, she put on the necklace. She smiled as she looked at it. That silly kitten... She joined the Truth or Dare circle and was mercilessly interrogated by Alya about her secret gift giver. She gave away more than she wanted to.

######################################################

Fifteen years later, Hawkmoth had long since been defeated. Their identities had been revealed. Adrien and Marinette dated for several years before heading off to their respective colleges, where they FaceTimed almost every day.

They had been back together working for the Agreste company for three years now, and tonight was the big night. Tonight was the night that Adrien decided to get down on one knee.

He offered her a pickle. She refused. Marinette's hatred for pickles never left her. So Adrien offered her a ring instead. She hadn't really been surprised, but she had cried as she hugged him and said yes. Happy tears, she had reminded him.

######################################################

A year later, nobody questioned why there was a pickle on top of the wedding cake. Nobody really knew where or when the whole pickle thing started, but nobody really cared. And after smearing cake on each other's faces, Marinette and Adrien split the pickle.

" _Maybe pickles aren't so bad after all_ ," Marinette thought to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I used "Marinette and Chat Noir: Pickles" as a prompt example, I didn't expect TWO people to actually ask for it! But I'm glad ya'll did. This was one of the most fun things I've written! That being said, I apologize for this prompt. I just started writing and I ended up with this randomness. Lot's of "Dupain-Chengs adopting Chat Noir" fluff though...


End file.
